Incubator.



No. 828,011. PATENTED AUG. 7,1906. H. 0. & E. 0. AIKEN.

INUUBATOR.

APPLIOATION FILED AUG. 21, 1906.

THE NORRIS PETERS 60., WASHINGTON, n. c.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

HARRY O. AIKEN AND ELIZABETH O. AIKEN, OF GLENDALE, CALIFORNIA;

SAID HARRY O. AIKEN ASSIGNOR TO EDMUND S. SHANK, OF LOS ANGELES,CALIFORNIA.

INCUBATOR.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed August 21, 1905. Serial No. 275,010.

Patented Aug. 7, 1906.

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that we, HARRY C. AIKEN and cessity of constant and delicateregulation of the heat-supply.

The object is attained by inclosing the eggs within walls formed ofearth, masonry, or other heat retaining and insulating material ofsufficient thickness to absorb or give out the heat during intervals offluctuations. When the heating apparatus has been adjusted to supply theamount of heat required on the average to raise the incubator to theproper temperature, the minor fluctuations of temperature will becompensated or neutralized by this heat retainer and insulator.

A further object of the invention is to provide an incubator wherein theattendant can enter the inclosure wherein the eggs are placed, so as toenable most convenient manipulation and inspection of the eggs and toenable such manipulation and inspection while the inclosure is closedagainst communication with the outer air.

The accompanying drawings illustrate the invention.

Figure 1 is a horizontal section on the line :20 0c in Fig. 2. Fig. 2 isa vertical section on the line 00 00 in Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is a detailinverted plan of one of the regulating-valves in the air-supply conduit.

1 designates the inclosure or wall of the incubator, formed of adobe,earth, clay, masonry, or other material of suflicient heat insulating,absorbing, and retaining quality and of suflicient thickness to maintainthe temperature therein substantially constant notwithstanding the usualvariations in external temperature. The roof 2 of this inclosure isformed of similar material, with supporting-beams 3.

Wall 1 has an opening 1 at one side closed by a door 4. An outer wall,housin or inclosure 5 is also provided, surroun ing the inclosure 4 andseparated therefrom to form an air-chamber 6, thatextends all aroundinclosure 4 and also over the top of same between said top and the roof7 of said housing. The wall 5 is preferably of heat-insulatingmaterialfor example, board walls with a packing of sand. From theopening 1 in the inclosure-wall 4 a passage-way extends to a doorway 9in the outer wall, provided with an outer door 10, said passage-waybeing formed by partitions or walls 11, connecting the walls 1 and 5.

Shelves 12, of'which there may be any desired number, are arrangedwithin the inclosure-wall 1 next to said wall, each of said shelveshaving a flange 13 at its outer edges and suitable material, such assand, (indicated at 14,) on said shelves to form a bed on which the eggsare placed. Three of these shelves are shown, only the top one beingused for eggs, the lower ones being used as nurseries. All of theshelves are cut away or omitted at the opening 1 to permit access to thespace within the shelves. The inclosure-wall 1 is preferably circular,the shelving 12 being annular. The shelving may be attached to the wall1 and may also have supporting-posts 15. A center shelf 12 may also beprovided.

The means for heating the inclosure consists of a furnace 17, located,for example, within the outer housing 5 and provided with a burner 17and with chamber 18 communicating with a valved inlet 19 and with a flue20, having a valve 20, said flue leading to a conduit or pipe 21, saidpipe 21 being preferably annular and extending within the inclosure-wall1 above the shelves 12, but leavin a gap above the break in theshelving. aid pipe is carried by supports 23 and is provided withopenings 24, controlled by slides or valves 25, and the end of the pipeis similarly closed by a valve or slide 26. Openings 24 are on thebottom of pipe 21, so as to direct the flow of warm air down onto theuppermost shelf 12.. A ventilator shaft or flue 27 extends upwardly fromthe top of inclosure 1 to the outer air, this ventilator having a valveor slide 28 to regulate the ventilation, and an inlet-ventilator 37,with slide 38, is opened through Walls 1 and 5 to admit cool fresh air.

The inclosure 1 is closed-in such manner that no light enters fromoutside, and means are provided for artificial lighting, the light beingapplied only locally and for as short a time as possible. For thispurpose two elecing, for example, connected by wires 36 to a suitablereceiver (not shown) which may be situated at a distance, as in aneighboring house. A hygrometer 39 is provided to indicate the humidity.

The operation is as follows: By regulation of the hot-air supply and theventilators 27 37 the temperature of the inclosure-wall and of the airinclosed therein is brought to the proper degree for incubation. Theeggs are placed on the top shelf and are there subjected to the fulltemperature of the incubator, the heat from the pipe being applieddirectly over them. To produce the uniform heating, the openings nearestthe supply-pipe 20 are contracted by partially closing their valves 25,while the openings more remote from the supply are opened wider. Havingonce brought the plant to the incubatingtemperature, it is onlynecessary to keep the furnace burning low and at a uniform rate,

the loss of heat being small and there being no necessity of changingthe amount of heat l supplied at different hours of the day, as diurnaland other ordinary variations of temperature are neutralized by the heatstoring and equalizing effect of the thick walls. In order that thefurnace may deliver the constant amount of heat necessary to supply theaverage loss by radiation from the structure,

' it is desirable to use therein a hydrocarbonburner, which can beregulated for constant output of hot air. When it is desired to inspectthe eggs or to manipulate the eggs for turning the same or testing andremoving in- 4 5 fertile eggs, attendant can enter the inclosure,

closing both the outer and inner doors, so that the space within theinclosure is maintained out of communication with the outer air. Then byturning on the electric lights 5 and moving the lamps around to thedesired part he can inspect and handle the eggs at any part of theshelves without throwing light on the other parts. The humidity of theair in the inclosure is observed by means I of device 39 and isregulated by application of water, locally, if necessary, and also byspraying, if desired, the humidity being gradually increased as theincubation proceeds. The oil-supply 40 for the furnace is prefer ablylocated at a distance from the housing 5 for safetysay fifty feet.

With an incubator constructed as above described and of properdimensionssay about twenty feet square outside and about fourteen feetdiameter inside-several thousand eggs can be incubated simultaneously.Moreover, eggs of different kindssuch as chicken, duck, turkey, andostrich eggs-can beincubated at once, and the differentbatches can behatched out without regard to the time at which others are started. Someeggs, such as ducks, require somewhat lower temperature than others, andmay therefore be placed on the center table 12 or on a part of table 12that is kept cooler than the others, as by regulating the dampers.

\ What we claim is 1. An incubator comprising an inclosure with a thickwall of heat absorbing, retaining and insulating material, shelvingaround the inside of said wall said wall and shelving having a passageformed to permit access to the space within the shelvinga door closingsaid passage, and means for applying heat to said inclosure.

2. An incubator comprising an inclosure with a thick wall of heatabsorbing, retaining and insulating material, having an opening at oneside a door for said opening, shelving extending within said wall havinga passage extending from said opening to the space within the shelving,an air-supply pipe extending over said shelving and provided with valveddownwardly-directed outlets, means for supplying heated air to saidpipe, and

valved ventilators at the top and bottom of said inclosure.

3. An incubator comprising an inclosure with a thick wall of heatabsorbing, retaining and insulating material, having an opening at oneside a door for said openingshelving extending within said Wall having apassage extending from said opening to the space within the shelving anair-supply pipe extending over said shelving and provided with valveddownwardlydirected outlets, means for supplying heated air to said pipe,and a valved ventilator in the top and bottom of said inclosure, andahousing surrounding the aforesaid inclosure, with its wall and roofseparated from the wall and roof of the inclosure, and with a door atoneside, partitions connecting the walls of the inclosure and housing toform a passage-way between the doorways thereof and a door at the end ofsaid passage.

4. An incubator comprising an inclosure,

shelving in the inclosure for holding eggs, the

wall of said inclosure and shelving being formed with a passage-wav anda door for said passage-way.

In testimony whereof we have hereunto set our hands, at Los Angeles,California, this:

11th day of August, 1905.

HARRY o. AIKEN. ELIZABETH o. AIKEN.

In presence of- ARTHUR P. KNIGHT, VERNA A. TALBERT.

